Foldable container



Nov. 12, 1935. H. 1-. BROWN FOLDABLE CONTAINER Filed Oct. 25 1934 luvswran WITNESS up for use.'

Patented Nov. 1 2, 1935 omen TAT-sis PATENT orrics 2,020,353 FOLDABLE coNTAiN a Henry Tatnall Brown, Moorestown, N. J., assignor to Brown & Bailey Company, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 25, 1934, Serial No. 749,937

' 2 Claims. (01. 22938) v This invention relates to foldable containers made from cardboard or similar flexible sheet material designed for packaging articles of mer- Wuld be required for the articles themselves if not enclosed'in the containers. r

A further object is to provide'a container of the character aforesaid which may be shipped in'flat knockeddown condition by the manufacturer to the user and set up by the latter preparatory to placing the goods in it without the use of special equipment, adhesives or the like. g

A still further object is to provide a foldable cardboard or similar container provided with integral side walls, top and bottom sections, and ,means integral with the former for supporting the latter in its proper position.v

Other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear or will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof during which reference willbehad to the accompanying drawing, in which i Fig. 1 is a plan view of acut and scored blank adapted to be formed up to makethe container which, in thisins'tance, is designed .to package a substantially cylindrical tobacco can or like article. 7

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partially broken away into vertical section, of the completed container made from this blank showing the lid and other parts in their usual positions 'just prior to the introduction of the cylindrical article.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the container as shown in Fig. 2 but after insertion of the article and just prior to closing the lid.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the container with the article disposed within it, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the container in knocked-down condition preparatory to being set In the several figures, like characters are used to designate the same parts.

Referring now more particularly to the drawattached when the container is closed so as to lie adjacent and beneath the lid.

'ingpthe blank B shown in Fig. 1, which is cut from a single sheet of cardboard or other suitable materi'al in substantially the illustrated form,

comprises a plurality of integral parts separated from their adjacent parts by scores (indicated by '5 dot and dash lines) and including the side panels l-S inclusive, which are substantially rectangular and ultimately constitute the six sides of the formed-up hexagonal container, the panel-l at one end of the'blank having a tongue I hinged at its free side edge 8 adapted to be secured, as by gluing, to the inner face of the free edge 9 of the panel 6 at the opposite end of the blank.

Attached to the lower edge of the next panel 2,

- andseparated therefrom by a score I0, is a bottom supporting flap l I- in the form of an isosceles triangle of which the score It forms one equal edge, the other such edge defined by a score 12 having hinged thereto a tongue l3 which, in the formedup container, is secured to the lower edge H) of the panel I after its tongue I has been secured to panelfi. V

A top flap I6 is hinged to the upper edge of the panel '2 and it, as well as other and preferably somewhat larger top flaps ii, l8 respectively hingedto the upper edges of the panels 4, 6,is

designed to be folded downwardly and inwardly at right angles to the panels to which these flaps are The upper edge 26 of the next panel, 3, is free but a hexagonal bottom 2! is hinged to its lower edge 22 and has a tongue 24 hinged at its edge opposite its line of juncture with the panel. The lower edge 25 of the next panel 4 has hinged to it a bottom flap 26, having a tongue 21, substantially similar to flap H but. oppositely directed with; respect to its adjacent .panel, thetongue 21 being adapted to be secured to the panel 5 at its lower edge 39 when the blank is assembled where- 40 by when the container is set up, these flaps i l and 26 will extend transversely across opposed corners of the container at its lower edges and support the parts of the bottom bounded by its free side edges 32, 33 and 3:3, 35, while the tongue 24 hinged to the bottom engages panel 6 adjacent its lower edge 36 and thus prevents the formation of a space or gap between the panel and bottom at this point should the bottom bulge slightly downwardly. The flaps I l .and 26 are scored along their median lines 3?, 38, and are folded along these lines when the container is folded fiat as shown in Fig. 5.

The blank B also comprises the hexagonal lid 48 which is of substantially the same size .as the bottom 2| and is hinged to the upper edge 4| of the panel 5; it has two free edges 42, 43 adjacent thereto respectively extending in alignment with and slightly beyond corresponding edges of top flaps l1, l8, a third free edge 44 opposite and parallel to its line of attachment to the panel, and tongues 45, 46 hinged to its other edges respectively defined by the scores 41, 48, these tongues being designed to lie against the inner faces of the side panels I and? between flap l6 and flaps I 8 and I1 respectively when the container is formed up and the lid closed, flaps I6, I I, I8 then extending transversely inwardly above the article disposed therein as shown in Fig. 3.

After the blank is cut out and scored substantially as heretofore described, the tongue I is glued or otherwise permanently secured to the panel 6 and the tongues l3, 2'! likewise secured to panels I and 5 respectively after the bottom hasbeen folded upwardly and inwardly toward the side panel 3; the bottom supporting flaps II, 26 may now be folded inwardly and upwardly along their median lines 31, 38 and the lid folded outwardly and downwardly as in Fig. 5, so that all the parts occupy substantially parallel planes for ready packing for shipment or storage. 7

When the container, after assembly and folding as just described, is to be set up for use, the side panels are opened outwardly, thus forcing the triangular bottom supporting flaps ll, 26 downwardly, and the bottom is then pressed downwardly into engagement with these flaps and receives substantial support therefrom. The article can then be inserted in the container, the top flaps folded down over it, the lid closed, and the tongues 45, 46 tucked down between their adjacent top flaps between which they fit tightly and are thereby held against the adjacent side panels whereby any tendency of the top to spring open is counteracted.

The container being preferably of generally hexagonal shape, it can readily be so designed that its sides will be tangent to the cylindrical article to be packaged in it, and thus a plurality of such articles so packaged may be arranged closely together in a packing case or elsewhere with all sides of substantially all the containers respectively contacting corresponding sides of adjacent containers whereby the containers afford mutual support to each other from all directions without appreciable waste of the available space.

While I have herein described one embodiment of my invention with considerable particularity, it will be understood that I do not desire or intend thereby to limit or restrict the invention thereto in any way, as changes and modifications in the form, arrangement and manner of assembly of the various parts, as well as in other respects, will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be made if desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A foldable container of the character described comprising a wall section including a plurality of rectangular panels hinged together at their adjacent side edges, a tongue hinged to the free side of the panel at one end of the section and secured adjacent the free side of the panel at the other end of the section, a substantially hexagonal lid hinged at one edge tothe upper edge of one of the panels and tongues respectively hinged to other spaced edges of the lid remote from said hinged edge, tongues respectively hinged to the upper edge of each side panel adjacent that to which the lid is hinged and to the side panel diametrically opposed to the latter, substantially triangular flaps respectively hinged to the bottom edge of one of said adjacent panels and to said opposed panel extending transversely of the container, a tongue hinged to an edge of each flap and secured to an adjacent panel in the vicinity of its lower edge, and a hexagonal bottom hinged at one edge to the lower edge of the side panel between said flaps, having a tongue hinged to the edge diametrically opposed to said hinged edge adapted to engage said first mentioned panel when the container is formed up with the bottom resting on said substantially triangular flaps.

2. A foldable container of the character described formed from a single blank, comprising a wall section including a plurality of rectangular panels hinged together at their adjacent side edges, a tongue hinged to the free side of the panel at one end of the section and secured adjacent the free side of the panel at the other end of the section, a pair of'opposed substantially triangular supporting flaps each secured to the lower edges of a pair of adjacent panels and adapted to fold along their median lines, a bottom hinged at one edge to the panel lying between the last mentioned panels, having a tongue hinged to its opposite edge, said bottom being adapted to rest on said flaps at right angles to the panels when the container is formed up. a lid hinged at one edge to the upper edge of one of the panels, having a pair of tongues respectively hinged to edges adjacent its edge opposite said hinged edge, and flaps respectively hinged to the upper edges of the panels lying adjacent the panel to which the lid is hinged and to the panel diametrically opposed thereto, said lid, panels, bottom and flaps being adapted to lie in substantially parallel planes when the container is folded flat.

V HENRY TAfINALL BROWN. 

